Comparing short-term memory among sensory modalities

Do developmental dyslexia and congenital amusia share underlying impairments?

Developmental dyslexia and congenital amusia have common characteristics. Yet, their possible association in some individuals has been addressed only scarcely. Recently, two converging studies reported a sizable comorbidity rate between these two neurodevelopmental disorders (Couvignou et al., Cognitive Neuropsychology 2019; Couvignou & Kolinsky, Neuropsychologia 2021). However, the reason for their association remains unclear. Here, we investigate the hypothesis of shared underlying impairments between dyslexia and amusia. Fifteen dyslexic children with amusia (DYS+A), 15 dyslexic children without amusia (DYS-A), and two groups of 25 typically developing children matched on either chronological age (CA) or reading level (RL) were assessed with a behavioral battery aiming to investigate phonological and pitch processing capacities at auditory memory, perceptual awareness, and attentional levels. Overall, our results suggest that poor auditory serial-order memory increases susceptibility to comorbidity between dyslexia and amusia and may play a role in the development of the comorbid phenotype. In contrast, the impairments observed in the DYS+A children for auditory item memory, perceptual awareness, and attention might be a consequence of their reduced reading experience combined with weaker musical skills. Comparing DYS+A and DYS-A children suggests that the latter are more resourceful and/or have more effective compensatory strategies, or that their phenotype results from a different developmental trajectory. We will discuss the relevance of these findings for delving into the etiology of these two developmental disorders and address their implications for future research and practice.

Measuring Visual, Spatial, and Visual Spatial Short-Term Memory in Schoolchildren: Studying the Influence of Demographic Factors and Regression-Based Normative Data

The study aims to establish demographically corrected norms for three computerized tasks measuring different aspects of visual short-term memory (VSTM) in Ukrainian schoolchildren. These tasks measure respectively visual STM (the Pattern Recognition Memory (PRM) test), spatial STM (the Spatial Span (SSP) task), and visual spatial STM (the Paired Associates Learning (PAL) task). All tasks were administered to n = 186 children aged 5.10 years to 14.5 years old to evaluate the influence of demographic variables. Relevant demographic factors that influence task scores (VSTM), i.e., age and level of parental education, are identified and in keeping with the current literature. No sex differences were found. Based on these data, regression-based, demographically corrected norms were established per task. This approach to constructing norms differs from how (worldwide) PRM, SSP, and/or PAL norms have been constructed traditionally. In the latter approach, norms are calculated for each age group separately and without correcting for level of parental education, whereas in the regression-based normative method, multiple regression models are used to compute the expected test scores of an individual (rather than the subgroup means that are used in the traditional approach). Consequently, the regression-based norms for the PRM, SSP, and PAL presented in this paper are individualized, taking into account the unique characteristics of the individual that is tested on these tasks. Last, the confidence intervals of the PRM scores of the Ukrainian schoolchildren and the western norm group largely overlapped, except for the youngest age group, which adds to the literature about cultural effects on cognition.

Evidence for short-term, but not long-term, transfer effects in the temporal preparation of auditory stimuli

Starting procedures in racing sports consist of a warning (e.g., "Set") followed by a target (e.g., "Go") signal. During this interval (the foreperiod), athletes engage in temporal preparation whereby they prepare to respond to the target as quickly as possible. Despite a long history, the cognitive mechanisms underlying this process are debated. Recently, it has been suggested that traces of previous temporal durations drive temporal preparation performance rather than the traditional explanation that performance is related to the currently perceived hazard function. Los and colleagues used visual stimuli for the warning and target signals. As racing sports typically rely upon auditory stimuli, we investigated the role of memory on temporal preparation in the auditory domain. Experiment 1 investigated long-term transfer effects. In an acquisition phase, two groups of participants were exposed to different foreperiod distributions. One week later, during a transfer phase, both groups received the same distribution of foreperiods. There was no evidence for transfer effects. Therefore, Experiment 2 examined short-term transfer effects in which acquisition and transfer phases were completed in the same testing session. There was some evidence for transfer effects, but this was limited, suggesting that there may be modality-specific memory differences.

Attending to auditory memory

Attention to memory describes the process of attending to memory traces when the object is no longer present. It has been studied primarily for representations of visual stimuli with only few studies examining attention to sound object representations in short-term memory. Here, we review the interplay of attention and auditory memory with an emphasis on 1) attending to auditory memory in the absence of related external stimuli (i.e., reflective attention) and 2) effects of existing memory on guiding attention. Attention to auditory memory is discussed in the context of change deafness, and we argue that failures to detect changes in our auditory environments are most likely the result of a faulty comparison system of incoming and stored information. Also, objects are the primary building blocks of auditory attention, but attention can also be directed to individual features (e.g., pitch). We review short-term and long-term memory guided modulation of attention based on characteristic features, location, and/or semantic properties of auditory objects, and propose that auditory attention to memory pathways emerge after sensory memory. A neural model for auditory attention to memory is developed, which comprises two separate pathways in the parietal cortex, one involved in attention to higher-order features and the other involved in attention to sensory information. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled SI: Auditory working memory.